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Simple Summary: In surveillance studies conducted in industrialized EU nations, a rise has been noted in hepatitis E infections that are unrelated to travel. According to previous research studies, eating undercooked or uncooked meat and organs, as well as products from pigs or other wild animals (wild boars and deer), was predominantly linked to human hepatitis caused by the hepatitis E virus genotype 3. Furthermore, domestic pigs and wild boars represent nature's primary reservoirs of this virus, and the liver is the main organ for hosting this virus. The goal of this study conducted in Serbia was to detect HEV in pig liver samples from slaughterhouses, retail outlets, and environmental swabs over the course of a year. All positive HEV samples were measured and expressed as HEV gene copy numbers per gram of sample, and a representative number of samples were sequenced using the Sanger approach. A total of 45 HEV-positive samples were re-amplified using nested RT-PCR employing CODEHOP primers targeting ORF2 (493 nucleotides). The average prevalence of the HEV genotype 3 in all pig liver samples from the slaughterhouses was 29%, while HEV prevalence was 44% in liver samples from animals younger than 3 months. HEV RNA was found in thirteen out of sixty (22%) environmental swab samples that were taken from different surfaces along the slaughter line. Our findings confirmed seasonal patterns in HEV prevalence, with two picks (summer and winter periods) during the one-year examination. Among HEV-positive samples, the average viral particles for all positive liver samples was 4.41 ± 1.69 log10 genome copies per gram. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the majority of HEV strains (43/45) from Serbia were grouped in the HEV-3a subtype, while two strains were classified into the HEV-3c subtype, and one strain could not be classified into any of the HEV-3 subtypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viral foodborne diseases have grown to be an important part of all foodborne illnesses that have been observed in recent years, and they are considered an increasing threat to the public's health. An increase in hepatitis E virus (HEV) cases that are not related to travel has been identified in surveillance studies carried out in developed countries in the EU. Hepatitis E genotype 3 virus was primarily associated with eating undercooked or uncooked pig meat or other wild animals, according to the research. The main reservoirs in nature are domestic pigs and wild boars. The main route of infection involves the fact that pigs infected with HEV enter the slaughterhouse as healthy animals (most often they do not have visual symptoms), and so their tissues and meat are used for human consumption. Currently, adequate heat treatment is the most effective way to prevent HEV infection from contaminating meat, liver and meat products. This virus is an ideal pathogen for full implementation of the One Health approach, where it is necessary to communicate, collaborate and coordinate in all sectors, including human health, animal health, environment, and other areas of expertise. Success in implementing the One Health approach would lead to controlling all links in this complicated chain and achieving the best health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effectiveness of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) in inactivating murine norovirus (MNV/human norovirus surrogate) and hepatitis A virus (HAV) on aerosol-inoculated dark red Willamette raspberries was explored. Pulsed positive corona discharge system fed by synthetic air was used for the production of CAP. Raspberries were treated for 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 min at 25 W. Application of CAP enabled a 4 log 10 infectivity reduction in <5 min for MNV and approximately 10 min for HAV (from starting level of 6.91 and 7.84 log 10 PFU/mL, respectively). Viral genome copies reduction of 3.18 log 10 for MNV and 4.32 for HAV were found from starting level of 5.76 and 6.47 log 10 gc/μL, respectively. CAP treatment did not result in significant degradation of fruit color, an important quality attribute. The study demonstrated CAP as an efficient post-harvest decontamination method to reduce viral load in raspberries without significantly affecting its quality parameters. Due to the fast-processing paces required in the raspberry industry, it is difficult to assure the complete microbiological safety of this fruit. Cold atmospheric plasma is a practical, environmentally-friendly, non-thermal tool for the effective reduction of microbial pathogens. The model developed in this study demonstrated that CAP treatment of fresh raspberries not only inactivated hazardous enteric viruses in a short time (10 min) but also unaffected fruit color stability. The simplicity of described CAP design and low-cost inputs (air and electricity) enable the commercial application of inexpensive plasma chambers for continuous surface decontamination of large volumes of raspberries without bringing processing to a standstill. • Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) reduced murine norovirus infectivity by 4 log 10 from starting level of 6.91 PFU/mL in 5 min at 25 W. • Hepatitis A virus was more resistant to CAP treatment requiring approximately 10 min to reduce its infectivity by 4 log 10 from starting level of 7.84 PFU/mL. • Raspberry surface color quality was not perceptibly affected during the CAP treatment. • CAP could be used as an efficient virucidal non-thermal decontamination tool for fresh and frozen raspberries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to determine the microbiological status of 390 beef and pork minced meat samples collected over three years from 52 retailers in the territory of Belgrade. The numbers of aerobic colony counts, Escherichia coli, and the presence of Salmonella spp. are prescribed criteria for this group of meat semi-products. Salmonella spp. was confirmed in one sample of minced beef meat (0.8%), while unsatisfactory E. coli counts were only determined in pork meat samples (2.7%). In 2021, all samples complied with the microbiological criteria for minced meat The highest occurrence of positive samples was observed during the III quarter of 2022 (P=0.04) with a frequency of 9.3%. The level of contamination of minced pork with E. coli bacteria in the same quarter was significantly higher compared to the II quarter of 2022 (627±75 vs. 292±9 cfu/g, P=0.009). Improvement of process hygiene and revision of process control, along with permanent education of food staff on the principles of GMP and GHP, are necessary for maintaining food safety and public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exponentially increasing annual production of plastic waste at a global level has raised concerns regarding the prospective infiltration of microplastics into terrestrial ecosystems. The transport of microplastics via wind advection and stormwater runoff presents a substantial hazard to food resources. The most recent studies reveal that chicken, pork, and beef samples are contaminated with microplastic particles, encompassing polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polypropylene. However, the employment of various non-standardized detection methodologies poses a significant obstacle in the interpretation of acquired results. Furthermore, the thorough clarification of the correlation between human exposure to microplastics and various health consequences, such as carcinogenicity, infertility, metabolic disorders and pregnancy complications, remains inadequately explored and necessitates additional investigation to enhance public awareness and propose solutions and integrated strategies for the mitigation of microplastic contamination in meat chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sequencing technologies have revolutionized the characterization of microorganisms in the recent years to a level that was previously unimaginable. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) techniques have evolved from an expensive luxury typing method affordable only to a few institutions to a common tool for routine analysis in public health microbiology. In particular, improvements in pathogen source tracking, determination of phylogenetic relationship, antibiotic resistance and virulence-traits have improved outbreak investigation tremendously. In addition, WGS allows the easy establishment of global databases based on standardized nomenclatures facilitating international data exchange, cross-border outbreak investigation strain tracking and source identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food Allergy is a growing global public health concern. The presence of undeclared allergenic ingredients or the presence of traces of allergens due to contamination during food processing poses a great health risk to sensitised individuals. Celery and mustard belong to the group of 14 basic food allergens, and thus, they are potentially hazardous. Therefore, the objective of this mini-review is to evaluate the presence of celery and mustard in foods of animal origin in Serbia for the period 2021--2023. The present study provides a summary of qualitative detection of specific DNA sequences by real time PCR techniques conducted on 179 retail products of animal origin, i.e., coarse-ground cooked sausages, cooked sausages with meat pieces, fermented sausages, smoked products, chicken meat, dairy and meat alternatives, quick-frozen dough products and snacks. Celery DNA (the mannitol dehydrogenase gene region was used for specific celery identification in samples) was detected in 15 samples, while mustard DNA was detected in 14 samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Legal standards specifically describe the need for allergy labelling on foods, beverages and other non-pre-packaged items because food allergies have developed as a concealed problem that seriously jeopardizes public health. The growing number of people who have food allergies has made it difficult for the foodservice business to control them appropriately. Current efforts in order to protect vulnerable customers include recognized standards for producers aiming to eliminate an allergen from their products and the inclusion of food allergy education in the training for people in food service and those in charge of enforcing food standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the results related to changes in aw value and bacteriological status of fermented sausages during maturation without and with added starter culture, stuffed into a narrower and wider casing. Values of aw of narrower and wider diameter sausages with and without added starter cultures decreased during ripening, and were close to values of 0.9. Enterobacteriaceae in narrower diameter sausages were not detected on day 18, i.e., the end of the ripening process, and these bacteria were not detected in wider diameter fermented sausages on day 25 or at the end of ripening (day 35). The increase in the lactic acid bacteria in narrow and wider diameter sausages without added starter culture was slower than the increase in the number of these bacteria in sausages with added starter culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to assess the expression of a toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) gene of Staphylococcus aureus in different types of milk, depending on inadequate temperature and storage conditions. Pasteurized and UHT milk were inoculated with monotoxic TSST-1 strain of S. aureus and growth kinetics was determined by the drop plate method using Baird-Parker agar medium in accordance with EN ISO 6888-1. The patterns of gene regulation were detected by quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR. Relative quantification method for statistical significance testing was used to detect significant gene expression responses. The results of experiments showed the dependence of the growth rate and consequent up-regulation of TSST-1 encoding gene on storage time-temperature and type of milk. In contaminated pasteurized and UHT milk kept at both 15 °C and 22 °C S. aureus significantly increased its virulent potential over time. This effect was a bit more emphasized in UHT milk serving as a “proof of concept”. Possible explanation could be a presence of lactic acid bacteria in pasteurized milk which is known to have down-regulatory effect on TSST-1 gene. Maintenance of the milk storage temperature below 8 °C and employment of microbiological control measures in hygienic practices, from milk producer through retailer and on to the consumer is of utmost importance to decrease risk of non-emetic staphylococcal poisoning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this systematic review is to provide information regarding the incidence and levels of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in raw and heat processed cow's milk in Serbia during 2015–16 and to compare these with collected data on the occurrence of AFM1 in raw milk and dairy products during the last decade in our region. Estimation of dietary exposure (EDI) and hazard index (HI) calculations for different age groups of the population were also carried out, based on the AFM1 content of milk samples and on available food consumption data in Serbia. AFM1 was detected in 69.9% (984/1408) of raw milk samples in 2015 versus 84.9% (3094/3646) in 2016, while in heat-processed milk, AFM1 was detected in 77.8% (364/468) in 2015 versus 98.5% (753/765) in 2016. On the basis of the obtained results, 450 (9%) of raw and 14 (1.1%) of heat-processed milk samples were contaminated with AFM1 levels above the maximum permitted level in Serbia (0.25 μg kg−1). However, a large percentage of raw and heat processed milk in Serbia (30.1% and 17.3%, respectively) was contaminated with AFM1 levels above the maximum permitted level regulated in the European Union (0.05 μg kg−1). Therefore, in order to protect consumer health, it is extremely important to further control the level of aflatoxins in milk, and this should be considered as a high priority for risk management actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]